Nationalism and Eastern Europe

The Nation as “Imagined Community”
- Nations are conceptualized as communities shared through imagination, where members may never meet yet feel a connection.
Nationalism in Western and “Eastern” European Contexts
- In Eastern Europe (EE), nations were defined in opposition to state structures.
- Nationalist ideas in EE emerged at a later stage than in Western Europe.
- Social groups in EE have varied understandings of the nation.
- In EE, factors such as ethnicity and language played a crucial role in defining the nation.

Ideas of Johann Gottfried Herder
- Central Texts: Herder's work reflects on the concepts of nationalism through cultural expression. Key works include 9 Voices of the Peoples in Music (1778) and his ideas surrounding the concept of the Volk (people or folk).
- Romantic Nationalism: Herder highlighted the liberating mission of Romantic nationalism, advocating for the genuine representation of cultural identity.
Herder’s Quote:
- "A poet is the creator of the nation around him, he gives them a world to see and has their souls in his hand to lead them to that world."
- He suggested a unified class within the state, stating, "there is only one class in the state, the volk, and the King belongs to this class as well as the peasant."

Lord Byron (1788-1824)
- Prominent literary figure who supported various nationalist movements, particularly in Greece.
Key Leaders of Serbian Nationalism:
- Karadorde (Black George): Leader of the First Serbian Uprising from 1804 to 1813.
- Milos Obrenovic: Leader of the Second Serbian Uprising (1815-17) and Prince of Serbia (1815-39).
Gradual Dissolution of the Ottoman Empire
- The Ottoman Empire faced various nationalist uprisings, especially within the Balkans.

Greek Revolution:
- Began in 1821 and garnered international attention and support due to figures like Lord Byron who promoted Philhellenism.
- Resulted in Greek independence by 1832.
Serbian Revolts:
- Between 1804 and 1830, a series of rebellions led to Serbian autonomy established by 1830, eventually leading to independence recognized in 1878.
Adam Mickiewicz:
- An influential poet who expressed nationalism in the former Polish-Lithuanian territories.
- Presented Polish, Lithuanian, and Belarusian national identities.
- His nationalism often took on a messianic quality, with Poland symbolized as the “Christ of the Nations”.
- Mickiewicz’s Quote:
- "On the third day the soul will return to the body; and the nation will arise from the dead; and will free all the nations of Europe from slavery. … And as with the resurrection of Christ sacrifices of blood ceased on the whole earth, so with the resurrection of the Polish nation wars will cease in Christendom."

Ana Ipatescu:
- Notable Romanian revolutionary leader during the Wallachian Revolution of 1848 against Russian influence.
Liberal Nationalist Revolutions:
- The 1848 revolutions were characterized as the “Springtime of Nations” as liberal nationalist movements swept across Europe.
- However, many of these revolutions were ultimately suppressed by monarchical systems.
Disappointment Among Nationalist Thinkers:
- Disillusionment arose due to internal divisions amongst nationalist groups such as German nationalism versus pan-Slavism.
- The varied approaches to nationalism had significant implications for cohesion within the revolutionary movements.
Pivotal Events in Hungary:
- The revolutionary efforts were most successful in Austrian Hungary, where a bloodless regime change occurred in March 1848.
- Key figures included:
- Sandor Petofi: A poet and revolutionary spokesperson.
- Lajos Kossuth: A prominent revolutionary leader and statesman.
- Despite initial successes, the Hungarian revolutionaries were defeated at the Battle of Segesvar in July 1849.